In a chilling twist of fate, Bryan Kohberger’s younger sister, Mel, has revealed that she once cautioned her brother about a “psycho killer” at large, not realizing she was speaking to the very person who would later be convicted of the crime. This unsettling recollection came to light during a recent interview Mel gave to The New York Times.

Reflecting on the aftermath of the horrific murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho, Mel expressed her fear after learning about the tragedy. Her brother, Bryan Kohberger, later admitted to the killings of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves, which took place on November 13, 2022.

Mel recalled telling Bryan, “Bryan, you are running outside and this psycho killer is on the loose. Be careful.” In response, Bryan reassured her, thanking her for her concern and promising to stay safe. According to Mel, her brother had a habit of taking late-night jogs and often left his door unlocked, which spurred her to reach out with a warning.

This revelation comes as Bryan Kohberger appeared at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025, for his sentencing hearing. He was sentenced for the brutal stabbing of the four students nearly three years prior. The case has been closely followed, with many still grappling with the shocking nature of the crimes. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)

Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse, for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago.  (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)

Mel recalled how Bryan was constantly bullied as a teenager as friends previously said he was overweight and had a standoffish personality. In online posts while Bryan was a teenager, according to the outlet, he said that he had no emotion, little remorse, and felt like he was “an organic sack of meat with no self-worth.”

Bryan, who was addicted to heroin as a teenager, once stole Mel’s phone and sold it at a mall so he could buy more drugs, the sister said. Mel said her family was worried Bryan was on a pathway to an early death, something that happened to one of his friends. However, Mel said Bryan received treatment and was doing better.

“We were all so proud of him because he had overcome so much,” Mel said.

Maryann Kohberger, (wearing sunglasses) mother of Bryan Kohberger, along with her daughter, Amanda Kohberger, exit Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. The pair were in attendance for Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing for the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

After treatment, Mel said while Bryan remained socially awkward and abrasive at times, she never saw him as a violent person. 

Bryan did not discuss the Idaho murders while staying at his parents’ Pennsylvania home in the days before the FBI raid, but Mel recalled him mentioning the case once, noting investigators were still searching for a suspect.

When Bryan was arrested Dec. 30, 2022, Mel recalled getting a phone call from her older sister, Amanda.

Police have named the four victims of an apparent quadruple homicide at the University of Idaho as Maddie Mogen, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves. (Instagram: @maddiemogen, @kayleegoncalves, @ethanchapin4)

“She was like, ‘I’m with the FBI, Bryan’s been arrested,’” Mel said. “I was like, ‘For what?’”

“The Idaho murders,” Amanda responded. 

Mel initially thought her sister might have been pranking her before becoming nauseous at the thought that her own brother was behind the murders of four college students.

Overnight, Mel said her world was flipped upside down. Bryan’s sister said she was training to start her new job as a mental health counselor in New Jersey, but agreed to step down after the new employer became inundated with inquiries.

Bryan Kohberger has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of four University of Idaho students. (The Idaho Department of Correction)

Mel said she became angry after seeing online posts from people who speculated that her family may have known that Bryan had killed the four University of Idaho students.

“I have always been a person who has spoken up for what was right,” Mel said. “If I ever had a reason to believe my brother did anything, I would have turned him in.”